The Tigers have been reluctant to put the still-recovering former catcher back behind the plate after he missed all last season following knee surgery.

They may not be done experimenting with their primary designated hitter playing in the field, though. At the worst of Miguel Cabrera’s recent injury problems, manager Jim Leyland contemplated using Martinez as a replacement for the hobbled slugger at third base, allowing Cabrera to just hit in Martinez’s DH spot.

“We talked about it in Chicago (when Cabrera first got hurt). Gene Lamont and I talked about it one night. In fact, even had Rafael Belliard tell Victor that there’s a slight, slight possibility this might happen,” Leyland said. “Miggy was OK, so there wasn’t ...

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“But sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.”

Once the Tigers ascertained that Cabrera could play through the discomfort, and not hurt himself further — and in fact, heal up while playing — it wasn’t really necessary to keep him out of the field, rendering the theoretical Martinez plan moot.

“I think he’s actually getting better. (Head trainer) Kevin Rand, my question to him was — because we worry about it — can this guy get better, with this injury, if he’s playing? Yes. Because if it wouldn’t get better when he’s playing, then we’d DL him to get it right,” Leyland said.

“He’s feeling better. I check with him every day on it. It’s still the stomach issue, still a big factor, but it’s better and it’s is getting better.”

About the only way that Martinez might end up behind the plate at the moment would be in an absolute emergency, should someone get hurt. Martinez could switch from designated hitter to catch in a pinch, if it was imperative.

“You got Victor there, for emergency catcher, but you’re reluctant because then you gotta put the pitcher in that spot to hit,” Leyland admitted.

“I have a plan in place for a couple of things yet, for the end of the season, but can’t get into it because I gotta wait and see how a couple of things play out. I have a thought process.”

Martinez has started 835 games behind the plate in his 11-year career, 255 games at DH and 153 at first base. The last time Martinez caught in a game was Aug. 4, 2011.

Tigers rely on rare squeeze

Anticipating a Jim Leyland-managed team employing the squeeze play is kind of like trying to anticipate the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Leyland dusted off the suicide squeeze bunt early in Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, and it worked flawlessly — even if the guy they called upon to execute wasn’t quite expecting it, either.

Jose Iglesias laid down a perfect bunt in the second inning, bringing in Omar Infante from third, then beating out the throw to boot.

“I don’t use that play very much, but I thought it was a good opportunity — I don’t think it’s a play that you use only in the eighth or ninth inning. I think it’s a play you use when you try to get an add-on run,” Leyland said. “It was early in the game, but I thought it was good enough. For one thing, you don’t expect them to be looking for it that early in the game. So we just took a shot with Iglesias that he could get it down.”

They also took a shot he’d be OK with trying.

Iglesias didn’t really expect it, and gave third base coach Tom Brookens a funny look, so he called if off initially.

“To be honest with you, we had it on the play before. But Brookie took it off because of the way he reacted to it. Like it stunned him, too,” Leyland said after the game.

“Brookie took it off, and I put it on the next pitch.”

Once they put it back on, Iglesias was able to execute it.

“To be honest with you, he bunted a tough pitch,” Leyland said. “It was a breaking ball, and he did a helluva job getting that ball into fair territory.”

Well-attended

Sunday’s crowd of 41,740 was the 26th sellout at Comerica Park this season, and the 15th in the last 17 home games. It also brought the running tally for attendance in the five-game series to 201,156.